Thread-holder



C. H. HOOFNGLE.

THREAD HOLDER.' APPLICATION FILED IAN.15, 1918.

Patented Apr.. 13, 1920.`

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ATTO B N E Yu WITNESSES unrrED sTArEs PATENT oEEroE.

CHARLES H; HOOFNAGLE, OF LAPORTE, INDANA.

THREAD-HOLDER.

Application filed January 15, 1918.

To all ywhom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, CHARLES H. HoorNA- GLE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at? Laporte, in the county'of 'Laporte and State ofindiana, lhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thread-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a holder for crochet or other threads in ballsor substantially ball form when wound. A particular obj ect is toprovide a means whereby the ball may -be supported in such a manner asnot to interfere with unwinding thereof as the thread is used andneeded.

Another object is to mount the ball so that it is freely turnableaccording to the direction of pull on the thread, and to provide meanswhereby the ball may be readily attached to or detached from the device.

Another object is to provide a foldable base so that minimum space willbe required in shipment and in the boxes in which the article is packed.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent as the descriptionprogresses hereinafter with relation to accompanying drawings, whereinone preferred embodiment is shown.

In said drawings Figure l is a side view in elevation showing the ballsupported by the improved article;

Fig. 2 is a plan view with the suspending arm broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the upper portion of the suspending arm;

Fig. i is a cross sectional view on the line Ll-Ji of Fig. 2 but withthe base arms folded, and

Fig. 5 is cross sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designatelike or similar parts, two base arms 6 and Y are provided to restadjacent opposite ends on supports and which are raised at the centersand lioined together by a pivot in the form of a rivet or the like S.rlhe extremities of supports 6 are curled upwardly as at 9. Theextremities of supports 7 are also curled upwardly as at l0. Bothsupports 6 and 7 are made of flexible material, and preferably metal.

A hanger arm is provided which is shaped in any suitable manner andextends up- Specicationof Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

Serial No. 211,976.

wardly from a base ll, forming part of it to a substantially horizontalportion l2 which merges into a curled portion 13, pri-v marily designedfor ornamentation. The base ll is secured in operative relation to thesupport members 6 and 7 and to this end, the rivet 8 passes through thebase ll as shown in Figs. 2 and il. The hanger arm should not turnrelatively to the supports and to this end, an upstruck lug 13 isp'rovided in the support G, which passes through an opening 14e in base1l and shaped to overlap the said base. As a result, the hanger arm isrigid with the support 6.

An article or ball of crochet or other thread is shown at l5. As usual,the ball has a central hollow core or open space. Into this core,outwardly expansible spring arms 1G extend and by means of points 1T attheir free ends, penetrate the ball and retain it in suspended position.rfhe arms 16 are integral with and extend from a spring coil le" attheir top, which coil in turn is connected by a swivel 1S to portion l2.By means of this swivel, the ball may turn according to the direction ofpull exerted on the thread.

ln detaching the ball or attaching it, it is simply necessary to pressthe arms 16 toward each other to bring them into relatively closerelation. l'.Vhile the arms are in this position, the ball may bereadily attached or detached. To attach the ball, after the arms arethus moved, it is simply necessary to place the ball over the free endof the arms and then release the arms as they will spring intoengagement with the ball.

Due to the pivotal connection at S, part 'T may be swung in thedirection of the arrows in 2. lso due to the yiel'fling` action of thesupports 6 and .7, the portions 1() may move opposite the portions 9 andfrictionally engage them as shown in Fig. 4. W hen the article is thusfolded. it will occupy small space in shipment or when packed.

Since l. have illustrated and described merely one embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that changes in the details ofconstruction may be resorted to within the spirit and scope as definedby appended claims.

l claim l. A device of the class described comprising a base includingmembers capable of movement relative to one another, hanger said openingto rigidly connect the hanger member' to the support, and the supportingmembers being movable relatively into folded relation and beingyieldable to clasp each other When in folded relation, and an articlesuspension means pivotally supported on the hanger member.

'In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

CHARLES H. HOOFNAGLE. Vitnesses:

ALFRED ONEILL, PETER OLSON.

